Sheet separating and forwarding machine



April 1, 1952 BACKHOUSE 2,591,116

SHEET SEPARATING AND FORWARDING MACHINE Filed April 21, 1949 2SHEETSSHEET l wwww April 1, 1952 H. T. BACKHOUSE SHEET SEPARATING ANDFORWARDING MACHINE Filed April 21, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Apr.1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEET SEPARATING AND FORWARDIN GMACHINE Headley Townsend Backhouse, Sunningdale, England 6 Claims. 1

The invention relates to sheet separating and forwarding machines of thekind (herein referred to as the kind described) in which a suctiongripper operating at or near the rear edge-considered in relation to theultimate direction of forwarding the sheetsof the upper surface of apile of sheets of paper, card or other material, is lowered intogripping engagement with each uppermost sheet of the pile in turn and isthen, while gripping a rear portion of the sheet, raised and given amovement over the top of the pile towards the front of the pile toforward, or to control the forwarding of, the sheet to conveyor or likemeans (e. a, rollers gripping the front edge of the sheets) for removingthe sheet from the pile, the suction gripper then releasing the sheetand returning to the initial position to engage the next sheet of thepile. Machines of this kind may be arranged to feed the sheets singly orin the form of a stream of partly overlapping or partly underlappingsheets and may be employed to feed the sheets to a printing or othermachine operating on individual sheets. It is an object of the inventionto provide an improved form of machine of the kind described ofrelatively simple construction and of high operating speed.

The invention provides a machine for separating individual sheets one ata time from the top of a pile and for forwarding the sheets from thepile and comprising asuction gripper operating adjacent the rear edge ofthe upper surface of the pile and having an open mouth for suctionengagement with the sheets, a co-operating piston and cylinder with anoperative connection to the gripper arranged for suction operation toeffect raising and lowering of the gripper, means for moving thegripper, when raised, back and forth over the pile, a conduit leadingfrom the gripper mouth to the cylinder, a valve in the conduit having aport leadingto the atmosphere and means for operating the valve, themachine being arranged for operation in a cycle in which the gripper islowered into engagement with the uppermost sheet with the conduit open,the port aforesaid closed and suction applied to the cylinder so thatthe closing of the mouth of the gripper by the sheet seals the cylinderfrom the atmosphere and enables the suction to build up in the cylinderto effect relative movement between the piston and cylinder to raise thegripper with the rear portion of the sheet; the raised gripper is movedin the forwarding direction over the top of the pile, the valve is thenoperated .to open the port and to close the conduit thereby to open thegripper mouth to atmospheric pressure to release the sheet and tomaintain the suction in the 0371- inder; the gripper is then moved backover the pile; the valve is operated to open the conduit thereby toadmit air to the cylinder and the gripper is then lowered to begin a newcycle.

In this specification, where appropriate, and in the appended claims,the term piston and cylinder is used to include the equivalents of adiaphragm and chamber or collapsible bellows.

In the preferred form of the invention the gripper is carried by themovable element of the piston and cylinder to effect the raising andlowering of the gripper and the piston and cylinder are arranged forbodily reciprocation or oscillation to efiect the movements of thegripper over the pile.

The cylinder may be continuously connected during the cycle to a sourceof suction.

A specific embodiment of a sheet separating and forwarding machineaccording to the invention will now be described by way of example andwith reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of the machine, and

Figure 2 is a view showing the cylinder and valve in three positions.

The machine forming the subject of the example and shown in Figures 1and 2 has two lifting and forwarding units l positioned in spacedrelation above the rear ed e 2 of the pile 3 of sheets and supportedfrom a common bar 4 of square section extending transversely across thepile. The two units are of similar construction and for the sake ofclarity the following description relates to only one of the units.

Depending from the above-mentioned square section bar 4 there is abracket 5 which is adjustably clamped (by plate 6 and screws 1) to thebar for sliding adjustment along the length of the bar. The dependingportion of th bracket is forked and embraced within the arms of the forkthere is a cylinder Zlll having its mouth directed downwardly andsupported at its uppper end by a rocket shaft 203 below and extendingparallel to the square section bar. The shaft is supported in the twoarms l2 of the bracket and in operation has. oscillatory movementsimparted to it by means forming no part of the present invention.

The cylinder 2!, above thepiston, is continuously open to a source ofsuction through the hollow shaft 203 from which the'cylinder isdependent. The piston is urged outwardly of the cylinder, 1. e. in thedownward direction, by a spring 204 and the lower end of the cylinder isopen through holes 205 to atmospheric pressure.

and there is between the two portions a layer of REFERENCES CITEDresilient material urging the Forums apart into The following referencesare of record in the fricgionaldand sealing engagement with the wallsfile of this patent: of t e gui eway.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS thegripper is held raised during the backward Number Name Date stroke bythe suction in the cylinder. 2,085,612 Spiess June 29, 1937 2,224,802Spiess Dec. 10, 1940 HEADLEY TOWNSEND BACKHOUSE. 2,341,521 Baker et a1.Feb. 15, 1944

